Everyday Beijing

To sort through the dizzying array of menu items, and posts about menu items, on Everyday Beijing, we offer you this brief list of recommendations, courtesy of K K.

• Hot soymilk, a big bowl for $1.50. It smells a little burnt, which is considered authentic to some.
• Fish dumplings, $8 for about 10.
• Jing dong rou bing (“East of Beijing meat pancake,” roughly translated). This multi-layered meat-dough pancake is “very nice and hearty,” says K K.
• Marinated slowly cooked beef cartilage, a cold appetizer, is really good.
• Ja jiang mien (noodles with bean sauce and julienned cucumbers) is very distinctly Chinese, with an intense smokey flavor that isn’t present in the ubiquitous Korean-Chinese version of the dish.
• And a great pairing: Jia tsang bing, which is the meatless version of jing dong rou bing, goes supremely well with jing dzang rou pien (Beijing-style stir-fried pork strips, with scallions). This is “salty but very very flavorful,” says K K.